| BOMBS AWAY- MISSION COMPLETE - FUEL LOW AND BAILING-OUT OR CRASH LANDING INSIDE RUSSIA. 1950s TOE TO TOE NUCLEAR COMBAT WITH SOVIET RUSSIA, THANKFULLY, THIS NEVER HAPPENED. THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO THE BRAVE SAC AIRMEN WHO WERE ASSIGNED TO FLY A ONE WAY MISSION. BELOW- THE RS-6 PORTABLE SHORTWAVE STATION - A SPECIAL CALL HOME RADIO FOR DOWNED AIRMEN. by: Aaron George Bailey - WA5HRC - Feb.1, 2011- UPDATED MAY 2016 |
| B-47 WITH A WHITE BELLY, TO REFLECT AWAY THE HEAT FROM A NUCLEAR BLAST - PHOTO - COURTESY OF BOEING AIRCRAFT CO. |
| America's B-47 "Big Stick" formed the backbone of SAC-(Strategic Air Command) in the early 1950s. By weight of numbers the B-47 would deliver the main nuclear punch to Soviet Russian in the event of nuclear war. However, unlike the B-52, the B-47 was a medium range bomber. When striking deep inside Russia, it would not have enough gas to get back home. IMAGINE for a moment, as a B-47 crewman, being low on fuel over enemy territory with options like crash landing on a remote highway, or bailing out at nighttime, and then being on your own. Assuming the crew got safely on the ground, they were to use a special RS-6 Radio to call home and arrange for a pick-up.-(SEE BELOW) A portable shortwave-(or HF) radio station, the RS-6 was actually built to be a CIA spy radio for Covert-Ops by agents in the field. SAC also chose them as long distance survival radios because they were rugged state-of-the-art miniature in size and worked off a wide range of voltages, About 10,000 RS-6 radio stations were manufactured in the early 1950s. See below- My RT-6 (Transmitter) #4681 and RR-6 (Receiver) #3772 which are the heart of the RS-6 station. Two additional POWER related components NOT shown here, are the RP-6 wide range power supply and the RA-6 power filter + misc patch cords. -(SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS) In mint condition, the units pictured BELOW had a pampered service life, perhaps, safely packed away in a survival kit of a B-47. RS-6 operation was clandestine by nature and very little mission related documentation exists since it was carried on special missions that were Top Secret. Some WWW sources suggest it was carried on the Lockheed U-2 Spy Plane and others say it was used by military Special Forces. FOR CERTAIN, only the "Eighth Air Force 64-1 Emergency Rescue Manual 1959" discusses the types of aircraft with Survival Kits that included the RS-6.(1) Those USAF aircraft were the- B-47E, B/RB-47E, B-47 ECM, RB-47H, B-52, and RB-52. |
| "RT-6" HF TRANSMITTER |
| "RR-6" HF RECEIVER |
| A CRYSTAL CONTROLLED, MORSE CODE TRANSMITTER, THE RT-6 OPERATED FROM 3 TO 16 MEGACYCLES IN TWO BANDS, 3 TO 7MC AND 7 TO 16MC, WITH A MAXIMUM OUTPUT OF 10 WATTS. NOTE - MOST MILITARY AVIATORS FROM THAT ERA WERE TRAINED IN THE USE OF MORSE CODE. |
THE TRANSMITTING FREQUENCY OF THE
RT-6 WAS PRECISELY SET BY A
RADIO CRYSTAL. -SEE 7041KC EXAMPLE. >
THIS WAY THE HOME BASE KNEW
EXACTLY WHERE TO LISTEN FOR SIGNALS.
RT-6 WAS PRECISELY SET BY A
RADIO CRYSTAL. -SEE 7041KC EXAMPLE. >
THIS WAY THE HOME BASE KNEW
EXACTLY WHERE TO LISTEN FOR SIGNALS.
| THE RT-6 WAS EQUIPPED WITH A FOLDOUT MORSE CODE "KEY" >> IT ALSO HAD A "KEY JACK" FOR AN EXTERNAL TELEGRAPH KEY. |
<&V "TUNE FOR MAX" BRIGHTNESS,
2 NEON BULB INDICATORS WERE
USED TO TUNE-UP THE RT-6.
2 NEON BULB INDICATORS WERE
USED TO TUNE-UP THE RT-6.
PHOTO FROM - B-47E FLIGHT MANUAL
| THIS PEN IS A REFERENCE TO SIZE |
CALLING THE WWW -THE KEEPER OF THIS WEB PAGE IS SEEKING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM ANYONE WHO HAS UNIQUE
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE RS-6. -- PLEASE EMAIL ME ------SEE "RS-6" WWW LINKS BELOW
KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THE RS-6. -- PLEASE EMAIL ME ------SEE "RS-6" WWW LINKS BELOW
(1) SEE- "(15] Headquarters Eighth Air Force, Emergency Rescue Manual 64-1, Survival on the Ice Cap, Cold Seas, Sea Ice of the Northeast Area, 15
September 1959. A SAC manual that mentions the RS-6 set." --WITHIN THE SAME WEB PAGE ALSO SEE- http://www.militaryradio.com/spyradio/rs6.html
September 1959. A SAC manual that mentions the RS-6 set." --WITHIN THE SAME WEB PAGE ALSO SEE- http://www.militaryradio.com/spyradio/rs6.html
(2) SEE RS-6 IN "CRYPTO MUSEUM"- http://cryptomuseum.com/spy/rs6/index.htm
(3) SEE- "Bringing a RS-6 HF Transceiver back to life"- http://www.qsl.net/k5bcq/RS6/rs6.html
(4) SEE- "RADIO TRANSCEIVER RS-6 Year 1951"- http://www.radiomilitari.com/rs6.html
THIS RR-6 SECTION IS STILL UNDER
CONSTRUCTION,,,,,,,
CONSTRUCTION,,,,,,,
| THE EARLY 1950s, WITH TINY TRANSISTORS STILL IN THE DEVELOPMENT STAGE, THE RR-6(A) RECEIVERS USED EIGHT STATE-OF-THE-ART MINIATURE VACUUM TUBES LIKE THE 5899 BELOW. |
| ON ALERT LAUNCH- NOTE THE STEEP CLIMB-OUT OF A B-47 JATO ASSISTED TAKEOFF |